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Tokyo Japanese Restaurant

7516 N. Western Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 848-6733

My impression of Tokyo Japanese Restaurant is that it is trying hard to provide the most authentic
Japanese food in Oklahoma City. The heart of Japanese food is fish, and I know how difficult it has
been throughout the years to get fresh seafood to the Great Plains (although Oklahoma has never
lacked for its own version of fresh water fish). Tokyo has stuck with it, though, and now I think
the state has a much better supply of fresh fish and seafood that is worthy of the experienced
chefs here.

Of course, Japanese food also includes dishes made with chicken, beef, and pork, and these
have always been among the best choices at Tokyo. It is really a "full service" restaurant that
serves sushi and all the important dishes generally found in Japanese restaurants. The only
thing missing here is the knife throwing show that accompanies many Japanese restaurants
that cook the food over a large grill, but I never really expect authentic Japanese food at such
places (although sometimes I am pleasantly surprised).

I can tell from looking at Tokyo's converted old house that it is not trying to be trendy, it is
just concentrating on good food. People might be surprised how pleasant the interior is, though,
from looking at it from the outside. The wood floors and Japanese decor in the dining room remind
me of the better west coast Japanese restaurants.

Box lunch with teriyaki salmon and chef's choice of sushi

An outstanding feature of Tokyo is the "box lunch" combination plate served with some of the
restaurant's best dishes. The box lunch is probably the most substantial lunch served in terms of the
quantity of food, and it consists of the customer's choice of foods from two groups (one of which has
sushi as one of the choices). The sushi is whatever the chef wishes to serve, but a California roll can
be ordered instead of nigiri or sashimi. The box lunch comes with miso soup, usually
making it the best deal for lunch even though it is more expensive than the other plates.

Other lunch specials come with one main item and kakiage (shredded vegetable tempura),
rice, and salad, but no soup. These offer a cost saving if you do not want sushi, but I think if I were to
order the miso soup the total would come out almost the same as if I ordered the box lunch. The
choice of entrées is almost as large as on the dinner menu.

One of my favorite items on the lunch plates is Salmon Teriyaki with a very thick and flavorful
teriyaki sauce. Atlantic salmon is most common in Oklahoma, but other varieties may be available at
times. I was told that the chef buys the best fish available at the market, so that there is not just one
type of salmon that is served. I do not expect a restaurant in Oklahoma to serve the dark red salmon
(it is usually pink to light red at Tokyo), but the quality is good, and I think the salmon is better than it
was a few years ago. The teriyaki sauce is excellent, and this is probably my favorite dish at Tokyo,
even though it is probably not the same as I would find in Seattle.

Tokyo's sushi bar has some of the freshest offerings in OKC. Items in center are fresh water eel and
salt water eel.

The chefs at the sushi bar are probably the most experienced in Oklahoma City, and I would
certainly say they are among the best. To me they exhibit all the characteristics of a good sushi
chef: they find the freshest fish available, they know how to prepare it correctly, and they will be
honest with the customer to recommend the "chef's choice" for the best sushi (whether or not it
is listed as a special).

Sushi can be ordered from the sushi menu, on combination lunch or dinner plates, or from
the "chef's recommendations of the day." Sushi on the box lunch usually includes tuna and salmon,
while the sashimi option includes a couple of additional choices such as a crab stick and
octopus. The "chef's recommendations" (the fresher, higher quality sushi) are sometimes included
on sushi plates, but it is best to ask. I have found the tuna to usually be the best sushi served in
the box lunch.

Philadelphia roll

Of course the chefs here can prepare California rolls and other types of rolls, but I am not a big
fan of these and would not judge a sushi chef's talent based on these dishes. The Philadelphia
Roll (made with cream cheese) was good, but not what I consider to be traditional Japanese
sushi.

Yellowtail sushi was the Chef's Recommendation

To really test the Sushi I have ordered the "Chef's Recommendation" at dinner with the
Yellowtail Nigiri being quite fresh and just about the same as can be found on the west coast.
While I probably do not know enough about sushi to recoginze the most exotic fish that would be
the true test for a chef, I do know fresh fish and sushi that is prepared well, and Tokyo Restaurant has it.

For nigiri the rice is supposed to be as important as the fish, but I am afraid I would have to
say the fish is much more important. Still, though, I would rate the rice here as being very good, and
does not come apart as easily as some others served with sushi.

The Salmon Sushi seemed to be redder in color and more flavorful than the cooked
salmon, but I do not know if it is a different variety. I think it is better fish than Tokyo used to serve,
though, and I now rate this among the best salmon sushi in Oklahoma City.

Miso soup

The Miso Soup is fresh, and one of the best. Nowadays many restaurants have good
miso, and I almost take it for granted. Tokyo seemed to be the first one to set the standard in
OKC, though, so it remains my sentimental favorite.

Chicken Katsu has one of the best sauces I have found in any restaurant, and the breading is
quite good. This is one of the choices for lunch, or is available on the dinner menu.

Vegetable Tempura is one of the options on the lunch plates and is excellent. I think the
plates normally offer a combination of shrimp and vegetable tempura, but it is so seldom that I find
restaurants that can make good vegetables that I like to order this at Tokyo.

Tempura udon has a rich, dark broth

A bowl of Tempura Udon I tried from the dinner menu was outstanding, with a dark, rich broth
and good noodles. The shrimp and vegetable tempura was the same excellent quality as the one served
at lunch. I have always enjoyed Tokyo's tempura dipping sauce (if you order tempura separately or on
the side).

For lunch a bowl of Udon is available without the tempura. This soup is not much more
expensive than the miso (if you order the miso a la carte), but the udon is more filling.

Nabeyaki Udon comes with chicken, shrimp tempura, fish cake, egg, carrot, and shitake
mushrooms. I think this dish is very "Japanese style," and is a good alternative to tempura udon.

Tokyo is a friendly, comfortable, and moderately priced restaurant where you can feel at home,
especially if you are a regular customer. The sushi chefs are among the most experienced I have met,
and this is one of the key factors that makes a good sushi restaurant.

I would have to say, though, that the regular menu offers the food I order most often, and enjoy the
most. I do not think I can point to any single item that is the "best I have ever eaten," but Tokyo has
a consistent quality of which everything is good, and some are hard to match even in larger cities.

The sushi at Tokyo has always been surprisingly good compared to other restaurants in OKC
and the Southwest, and I think even though the fish here is not the same as in seaport cities, the sushi
chefs know how to find the best that is available and to make the most of it. The salmon had
been a disappointment for me compared to the other fish, but this has changed recently. I was
very impressed by the salmon at Mr. Sushi in Edmond, but the sushi currently served at Tokyo has
been equally good. I think there has been an improvement in the salmon supply to Oklahoma, and the
good sushi chefs know how to make the most of it.

I do not place great importance on a sushi restaurant having more variety than other
places just for the sake of saying it has a "large menu," but it is good to know Tokyo has a relatively
large selection. This, along with its quality, make Tokyo a winner. The fact that much of the cooked
food is as good if not better than the sushi keeps Tokyo as my choice for "best Japanese in OKC."
If this ever changes it will probably not be because Tokyo will have gone downhill, it will be that
someone else has the skills and makes the effort to provide the same quality. Such skills seem
to be all to rare in the Japanese restaurant business.